When Worlds Collide
by GarrettDuke01
Summary: When a violent case sends Detective Danny Reagan, Detective Maria Baez, and Officer Jamie Reagan to the town of Hazzard, GA they are quick to find that things aren't always as they appear. Where the law is the bad guys and the two men wanted for robbing a bank are the good guys. Will Danny, Maria, and Jamie be able to find their killers before they hurt anyone in Hazzard?
1. Prologue

_ **Author's Note: This is my first cross over story and is a cross over of Blue Bloods and Dukes of Hazzard. I normally just write Duke fan fic, but decided to try a story with my two favorite TV shows. I try my best to keep them in character, but am they are not perfect to how they are on the show. I just try...also, my story is wrote in today's time compared to when the Dukes aired. And lastly...I write in first person and do switch from character to character. I am going to try switching characters from chapter to chapter to help make it less confusing. I do welcome any positive feedback as well as helpful feedback that may help better my writing. Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing. It is a work in progress and will update it as I go along...but time is limited.. Thanks again. :)**_

_**PROLOGUE**_

Feeling the intense heat of the small room quickly surround me, I find myself staring angrily at the small man that sits upon the cold, hard metal chair across the steel table. Anger that is rooted in vivid scenes of three innocent families assaulted and murdered within the safe confines of their own homes that intensely floods my mind. Of the blood. The violence. Only to feed my imagination of what each family member had gone through, their last thought they had, the pain and fear that must have captured their beaten bodies, and the last sight they had seen. Was it of their killer or was it of their loved one being killed across the room? Only to send a violent chill spreading over me and intensifies the anger within me.

"Answer me Pablo!" I scream to pierce through the thick silence that had followed my question.

He looks blatantly up at me before opening his mouth before thinking twice of whatever he was going to say and closes it again. He slowly takes his dark eyes off of me to glare over at my partner who stands in the corner, her arms folded tightly against her body. Sighing heavily he looks back at me and states, "I told you, I don't go by Pablo no more," he hisses at me angrily as he runs his hand through his thick dark brown hair, "I answer to Fuego."

"You will answer to whatever name I call you!" I yell as I take a step forward and angrily shove the table into his chest to send pain and a hint of fear in the man's dark eyes.

Pablo only stands to be five feet and five inches tall and looks to be small and scrawny, which seems to give him a look on the streets to be an easy fight. But he is anything but an easy fight. After years of getting picked on for his size in grade school, he had taken up martial arts and weightlifting in junior high and hasn't given up yet on his intense training. Leaving him muscular and well prepared for any fight that anyone has to offer. Making him the prime example of how looks are deceiving.

Through research of Pablo "Fuego" Herandez, I have learned his mother had given birth to him at a prison here in New York City where she was serving time for theft and for the assault of a police officer. Pablo's grandmother had taken him in, but of what I read, his grandmother wasn't an angel either as she had several charges of arson and theft herself. And as Pablo grew, his grandmother grew old and weak, and in turn had paid as little attention to the boy who was getting in more and more trouble at school, when he went. By the time Pablo was nine years old he was already friends with several older kids who were known gang members and it was only a matter of time since Pablo was in the gang and active in gang activity.

Pablo has had some sort of fascination with fire since he was young and as he grew in the gang and spent a lot of time in and out of juvenile hall and later in life in prison, he had used some sort of fire in his crimes. Mostly of theft, assault, and drugs. Where his "friends" had given him the nickname "Fuego" which is the Spanish word for fire.

Though, as I stare across the table at Pablo, this time, it isn't for one of his crimes or for something he did. But for someone he knows. Or something he knows. And is now attempting to play innocent or naïve.

Looking over at my partner I find her looking at me with dark eyes and a stern look before she slowly and reluctantly nods. Slowly looking across the table at Pablo I quickly throw the empty metal chair back before heavily sitting down in it as I continue to picture the gruesome crime scenes that has spread across the past month. One month. Three families murdered and burned to death in their own homes. With little to no reason as to why or any connection to the three families. The Nunez family were of Hispanic heritage. The parents were both in their mid thirties with four children from the age of eighteen months to fifteen years. The Ogle Family was of a single mother around twenty - five with two children; a boy of two years old and a girl of six years old. And the last family to be killed was the Hendersons. African American heritage. The widowed grandmother of eighty-five years old lived with her son and daughter in law who were close to forty years old and had six children. From the age of five years old to sixteen years old.

All family members were beaten and shot to death.

All houses were in different locations and all sets of children attended different schools. Three different races. Three different incomes. Different jobs.

"Look at me Pablo!" I snap and he jumps before looking at me, "Do you understand what I am telling you? Your so called friends have murdered three different families. Children. Babies. A grandmother. Their parents. All dead. Violently attacked in their own damn homes!" I pound the table in anger and feel the pain race up my arm though ignore it as I go on, "Baez and me know that you didn't do it. But we do know you know something…or someone who did."

"Yeah?" he questions, his Spanish accent thick in just a single word, "How's that?"

I eye him momentarily. Finding some satisfaction at seeing sweat roll rapidly down his tan face before I shrug and sit back in my chair. "Because the way they burned the houses down," I pause for a long time as I shove my hands down into my suit pocket to run my fingers over the charred paper we had found on the front lawn of the last burned house. Looking back up, I continue, "has your name all over it. From the matches that were found, the lighter…everything."

He shrugs none caringly. "Well you got me. Arrest me," he challenges me boldly.

I nod while bighting onto my lower lip. "Hey Baez give the man a cigar!" I exclaim throwing my arms up in the air, "Why didn't we think of that?"

Baez shakes her head at me while staring at Pablo. "Good question Reagan," she finally states, interrupting her silence that she has had since we had entered the interrogation room, "I mean, what jury wouldn't find someone like "Fuego" guilty of such heinous crimes as this? They'd for sure find you guilty. Give you life in jail. You'd be locked up to the day you die. Serving your life with other inmates that would do such a horrible thing like that. You would never see your baby girl ever again. Or your fiancée. Tell me Reagan, how long you think a boy like Pablo here would live in prison for what he did?"

I feign a thoughtful look at her before glancing over at Pablo. "Well Pablo here has got plenty of muscle and fight to him. He would give everyone who offered a good fight. But if all those other men in prison who has muscle and fight to them were to gang up on Pablo…well it wouldn't take 'em very long to finish him off," I slowly answer before facing Pablo, "I hate to try to scare you Pablo, but am being honest with you. Because well, despite all your faults and your long conviction record, I kinda like you. You had stuff stacked against you since the day you were born and yet you keep on fighting. Never give up. I kinda like that about you. So before we go down this path of you trying to take the blame for your buddies, I want you to know what you will be up against," I pause as he gives me an evil smile, "Despite all the evil and horrible stuff that all those men did to get sent to prison, they do have their own morals and standards. And one thing you don't do…even in the mafia, is to abuse the elderly and the children."

"Of which, if you are taking the blame for all of this," Baez spreads her arms across the room to motion towards all the crime we are talking to him about, "you will be taking the blame for the beating, murder, and burning of twelve children and one elderly person."

"Yeah," I nod in agreement, "and it doesn't take much for word of why you are serving time to get around in the prison." I pause heavily as I wipe my face with my hander kerchief, "So perhaps you should think about all this before we go any farther. Because personally," I lean forward, "I don't think you have the guts to do what this monster…or monsters have done to these families. Behind all that muscle and armor you put up, is a nice guy who cares too much to do what they have done…"

"I don't care about nothing," Pablo states, slinking back into his chair in attempt to put on his attitude.

"You don't care?" Baez asks as she walks up to the edge of the table and puts down a colored photograph of Pablo's eight month old daughter, Juanita. In the picture Juanita dark brown eyes sparkle as she has a large toothless smile spread across her chubby cheeks and thin black hair lies neatly combed out. "Is that why Rosa," Pablo's fiancée, "has told me how you sing her to sleep every afternoon and at night? How you make sure you are off of work in time to sing Juanita to sleep? Or how you save up your money so you can buy Juanita toys that you have seen at the stores? Or, how about, how you missed your buddies party they threw for your own birthday to spend it with Juanita?" Baez pauses and looks at me quizzically, "Doesn't that sound like a man that cares, Reagan?"

I nod with a thin smile. "Yeah Baez. I do believe that sounds like a man who cares," I pause as I glare across the table at Pablo, "that sounds like a man who cares a whole lot."

"OK fine," Pablo sighs heavily, "so I care for my baby girl and for Rosa. That's it."

I nod as if in understanding before leaning into the table while pulling out a stack of pictures and lay them out. They are colored pictures of several of the children we had found, of several stuffed animals we had found covered in blood, and a couple of pictures of their houses burnt to the ground. "Well the monsters who did this," I state as I put a heavy finger down on the remains of the eighteen month old, "wouldn't even care for their own babies. Their own families. These monsters…all they care about is getting what THEY want. Doing what they WANT. So why don't you look at 'em. And just think," I pause as I motion for him to look and he slowly does so, "this could be Juanita. Could be Rosa."

"But it's not!" he yells and with one angry motion he shoves the pictures off the table and they fall to the ground. He glances at me for a reaction of which I refuse to give him.

"You know Fuego," Baez states as she puts her hands onto the table and lean in closer to him, "I talked to Rosa and she told me you all have a nice tan and white pit bull named Amigo that you adore. Love and take care of. She says most people in your gang have those dogs to feed off your ego and your image. She says not you. Your pit bull to you is family. Heck, she says last Christmas the dog had more Christmas presents more than she did!" Baez gives him a cute little laugh, "I know, I know. You have this tough guy image that you have to uphold. And this description that Rosa gave us, well it is an image of a family guy. A guy who cares and loves for his family. Something you don't want shown to any of your homies." She steps away from the table and back to her post near the closed door, "But the image she gave us all but proves that you are not capable of doing that…so you can sit there and be willing to do the time for your so called friends who are capable of doing that," she points to the pictures on the floor, "but before you do, perhaps you should think of Juanita and Rosa. Do you really want to lose that? Because once they put that guilty verdict on you, you will be seeing them through Plexiglas for the rest of your life. No more hugs. No more kisses. No more smiles."

Pablo eyes me angrily for a long moment before looking away as if thinking about something. After a long moment of silence he looks at me and says, "Damn it's hot in here! Turn down the damn heat!" he angrily yells, his voice echoing off the walls, "Look at you man! Even you sweating like the pig you are!"

I give him a small smile at his joke he had made towards me before slowing nodding in agreement. "What ya know? I am," I finally state, "but you know this job, why I am here. It's not about me. Not about my comfort. It is for the safety of New York City…of which I am trying to pursue by getting those monsters off the street. Now you tell us what you know and I may be nice enough to turn it down."

"So you two are just going to sit in here and sweat it out, huh?" he questions leaning back in his chair, eyeing both of us cautiously.

"Nah, but you will," I smile at him, "you see, me and Baez can walk out that door where the whole dang building is nice and air conditioned. We can do a few paper work. Make a few more deals. Heck, I could even go get a can of pop or perhaps some coffee if I felt like it. I could even go out for a smoke…if I smoked. Which I don't. You on the other hand will be stuck in here…"

"Stuck in here? You ain't arrested me yet," he questions full of attitude, "heck you both said you don't think I did nothing! So I should be able to walk out that door any damn time I please which I think I do-"

"OK fine. Relax Pablo," I motion to him, "you give us something and the air goes on. Baez here may be nice enough to get you something to drink. What you like? Coffee? Mountain Dew?"

"Dr. Pepper," he grudgingly states, his muscular arms fold tightly against his tight blue t-shirt.

"OK Dr. Pepper it is," I pause momentarily for affect, "once you start talking. Otherwise we can make this into an arrest and you can be making that call to Rosa to tell her you been arrested."

"Which will break her heart," Baez throws in, "I talked to her real long. She seems like such a loving young woman. So sweet. Innocent. And yet stuck in that ran down apartment in your neighborhood, taking care of Juanita, and waiting for you to come home. Somehow she sees something in you that makes her want to stay. You think she will stay there and stay just as devoted to you as she is now once she hears what you did to all those children? To their families?" Baez goes silent to let it sink in, "Somehow I don't think so. She talked about how she wanted to get out of New York. Go back to Florida. Show her parents their grandbaby. I may even give her some money to help her on that train or plane to help her get out of that dump. To help her and Juanita…what a beautiful baby. You think you would see much of her -"

"OK, ok," he throws his hands up in surrender, fear enters his eyes, "I didn't do it…but I can't say anything. They will kill me. Heck forget about me!" he yells, the fear in his eyes now screams at me, "They'd kill Juanita and Rosa if I said anything! You're a cop! You know damn well what happens to snitches in gangs!"

I nod quietly as I glance down at the single picture that lies on the table of baby Juanita smiling so happily, her dark eyes shining back at us. Looking back up at Pablo I slowly agree with him, "So I do. Which is why I advise everyone I know not to join them. For those who are in them, to find a way out." I shrug nonchalantly at him, "I know you had a rough upbringing from your mom being in jail, not knowing your dad, and being raised by your grandmother who saw you as a burden. I feel for you. Truly I do." I give him another shrug as I go through the lines I had rehearsed ever since we learned about him and researched him, "But I know other people who were orphaned at birth. Raised by strangers. And yet walked the straight and narrow. They didn't seek the dark. The violence. The gang life. But worked hard to achieve their dreams to become bigger than their past. To raise their own families. Go to college. To succeed in life. And yet there is you who decided the gang life and took the path of destruction…it's all in a matter of choice. And with choices, comes consequences."

"You think I had much choice living in that ghetto?! It was either to be part of them or against them. And to be against them…well you don't go against them and live to talk about it!" he yells back at me, "I applaud those people you are talking about. Good for them! But I didn't have that choice! And now you are making me choose going to prison and never seeing my family again or to watch them being killed by the same people I grew up with! What kind of choice is that?!"

"No one said life is fair, Pablo. Of all people, you should know that. Your grandmother was far from being a saint, but she wasn't part of that gang. Was she? And she lived to be, what? Eighty?" I question and he hesitantly nods.

"But that is because she bought their drugs from them. Supported them. Never caused them no harm," he sharply retorts, "heck, she even let them hide out in her basement when they were running from the cops! She may not have been part of the gang, but she definitely helped them out and showed no objection when I joined! She said, it was a matter of survival! Which it was! You try living on them streets and surviving without them. Bet you couldn't do it either!"

I eye him for a long silent moment, grudgingly knowing he is probably right. I slowly nod as I put my hand in my pocket again to feel that paper and once again feel the anger raise within me from what it says. Putting my hands on the table again, I slowly begin to respond, "Ok, ok. I'll give you that one. But it don't make it right." I pause as he gives me a grin to say 'I told you so'.

"So Baez and me did our research on you. We talked to Rosa. Heck we even called and talked to Rosa's parents and," I go quiet for a long moment as I pull out two plane tickets out of my pocket, "we have agreed, if you talk and give us the info needed to find where these monsters are hiding, we will give you these one way air plane tickets to Florida. Where Rosa's parents will be waiting to pick you up. You will have police guarding their house and neighborhood until we call down and tell them we got these monsters arrested and no longer to offer any of you harm.

"What you say? You help get these monsters off the street and you all get a one way pass to change your life around," I slowly begin to finish up as I take in his reaction, "not only that, but Rosa's dad knows someone that could use someone like you. Put you on an honest paycheck. A good paycheck."

"For real?" he finally questions unbelieving.

I nod. "For real," I respond showing him the tickets at a distance where he can't reach them.

"Only if you answer our questions and cooperate with us," Baez chimes in from the door, "otherwise we'll just give 'em to Rosa and Juanita. Get them away from the loser that you are."

Pablo eyes her for a long moment before he eyes me for a long thoughtful moment. "Ok, ok," he states reluctantly, "but not until you turn down the damn heat and give me something to drink. I'm about to pass out in here."

I eye him for a long moment before nodding at Baez who opens the door and slams it behind her before she goes to get what Pablo wants. "I am glad you have changed your mind. It will take Baez a couple of minutes to get that pop and get the air kicked on," I slowly state as I wipe my face with my handkerchief again before slowly standing up, "perhaps you can take the time to think what you have to say."

He silently nods as he grabs the picture of his daughter off of the table and I slowly kneel down to pick up the pictures that he had shoved onto the floor. With each picture my heart seems to tighten in anger towards the people who would do this to these families and for what all these people had to go through in their last moments of life. How can one moment, life be so normal and the next full of fear before your life is being wiped away for good? One thing if it is due to an illness or an accident, but someone purposefully to go in and do this to anyone?

Only makes me think of my family back home and I find myself praying for the victims and for my own family as I pocket the pictures into my chest pocket once again.

"I have this?" Pablo breaks the silence as I slowly stand back up to sit back down in my chair again and I glance over at him to find him looking at the picture of his daughter that Rosa had given to Baez.

"Yeah, sure," I slowly state as the door is thrown open and Baez walks in with a can of Dr. Pepper, "There you are. Was beginning to think you ran off on us…"

"All you men are impatient," she states half jokingly, "I was gone for what? Five minutes? I had to get the pop and turn the air on before having to explain it all to the captain…and now I am explaining all that to you! Geesh. There's your pop Fuego."

Pablo nods his thanks at her as he opens the can and it echoes off the walls before taking a long drink from the tin can. "Ah thanks. Starting to feel a bit better in here too," Pablo states, feeling more comfortable now that Baez has met his needs.

"Good," I harshly state as I pull a pad of paper from my inner pocket and a pen, "now let's get started. Before we do, we need to know if you want a lawyer. If not, you will have to sign a sheet saying you don't."

He eyes me impatiently. "I don't need no lawyer," he harshly states and I give him the piece of paper and a pen.

"Good. Makes it easier for us all. Now then," I pause as I hand him a pad of paper, "I will ask you some questions and when we are done, we will need you to write it all out on paper. Understand?"

"Really?" he whines and I take a play at grabbing the notebook back, "OK fine. I understand."

"Good now," I respond sitting up in my chair, taking a glance back at Baez before looking back across the table at Pablo. "I will be recording our conversation as well…helps with the old memory." I put the recording device on the table and push play before identifying myself, Baez, Pablo and why we are here. "So Pablo, we have shown you the photos and you know the nature of the crimes committed. Three different families murdered and burned to death in their own homes. No ties or connection between the three other than they own or rent their own houses. We have reasons to believe that it is someone or some people in your gang, Yellow Dragons, that did all this. We also have reasons to believe you know who or why all this happened. Are we correct?"  
Pablo eyes me angrily before staring at the recording as if it is about to bite him. "This is stupid! What you going to do with that? Give it to them so they can come after me?!" he yells.

"Pablo, Pablo," Baez steps in, "you're doing good. Don't ruin this for you, for Juanita. This is your ticket out of New York. A new life. We are good on our promise. You?"

He eyes her for a long moment with eyes full of uncertainty and fear before he inhales loudly and sits back on his chair and nods. "OK, ok. Yeah," he finally states, "So you're correct." He begins to trace his can with his finger nervously. "But I . . .I didn't do that. I had nothing to do with what happened to those families. To those children. I would never hurt a child. Never." He shakes his head at us repeatedly.

"We know that Pablo. Otherwise you'd be in handcuffs right now," I attempt to assure him and I find myself playing with my pen, nervous of losing Pablo and the valuable information that he holds. "But we need to know who did this. Where they are? And why they would do this. You are the only one we know that can help us answer these questions."

He sighs heavily and nods while eyeing Baez and I. "Dagger and Sword. They are the two leaders of the gang. Well Dagger is, but he don't go no where without Sword," he nervously pauses as he begins to move his can in circles in front of him, "Anyways, you don't want to mess with them. You get them mad and normally you end up in the hospital or six feet under, if you get what I say? Well," once again he nervously pauses, looking all around before looking at me once more, "things were slow. His drug dealers were having a hard time selling except for the normal people that buy from them. But they are always looking for new customers, know what I mean? Anyway, things were slow. People out of money. So he pulled us all in, wanted some ideas to get things heated up. Start trouble in the city…make us known."

Pablo goes silent as he takes a long drink from his can of pop, his dark eyes circulating around the room once more. "Well, before all that, Dagger's brother, Scar was stopped by a police officer. Detective. Some sort of police. Things went bad and well, Scar was shot and killed by the officer," he pauses a moment in thought, "Perhaps a month and a half ago. And well, Dagger got real mad. Took it hard." Pablo recounts, pausing to take in our reacting before continuing once more, "I didn't see him for over a month after that. Word had was going around how upset Dagger was about his brother's death. Blamed everyone. Blamed himself. Word was, that Dagger was talking of some sort of revenge.

"As I said, you don't mess with Dagger without consequences…"

I wait a moment for him to go on but he just shakes his head nervously at me. "You got me lost here Pablo," I finally admit, "what does all this have to do with those three families? We checked their background. None of them work for the jail, courts, or police. Think it was fast food, a school teacher, a janitor and other type jobs. Nor do they live in that area of town…"

"I know, I know. But that would be too obvious and when Dagger retaliates, it is normally not as obvious as most people are when they retaliate, if that makes sense," Pablo pauses shaking his head as if trying to make sense of it himself, "look, I really don't know what happened or why. All I know what he said in that meeting. He wanted something done. He wanted his anger and hatred to be heard amongst all. Wanted the city of New York to know what we…they are all about. Then he told us to hit the streets. Start fires, start trouble. And as I was leaving, he pulled me aside. Which is," he pauses as if searching for the right word, "really wild, you know what I mean? I am just a member of his gang. A no one. And for him to pull me aside like that…it was odd."

I nod as if understanding while listening to the clock slowly tick on. "So what did this Dagger say?" I question, "What is his real name? Sword's name?"

"I . . .uh…don't know. I don't think anyone knows their real name. You don't ask 'em question, you just do what they say," he pauses for a long moment as he takes his last sip of pop before slamming it back down again. Looking at me he slowly continues, "All he did was ask for my lighters that I had. For how I started the fires that I did. Which isn't anything fancy or new. But you don't argue with the boss man, know what I mean? I've been playing with fire since I was five…so I gave him what I liked. Gave him the lighters. He said he and Sword had some big ideas of letting them be heard and known and had select men to help them with it. He even asked if I wanted to join them. Me…a no one."

"And what you say?" I ask hesitantly, afraid to hear what he had to say.

He shakes his head. "I thanked him. Told him how honored that he of all people would be seeking my help and inviting me along! But," he pauses as he sits back in his chair, "I tol' him I couldn't do it. I needed to get home to Juanita and Rosa. I thought he would be mad. But he just said he knew I would be too chicken to join the greats of him and Sword. That only the elite are willing to do his dirty work. Something like that.

"Anyway, two days later I read about that Nunez family being killed and burned in their own home in a matter that was how I tol' him I burned down my first barn," he says, regret thick in his voice and he abruptly sits in his chair, "Honest. I didn't know what he was going to do with what I said. He asked. I answered. You don't go against his or Sword's wishes."

I nod silently as I think of what he said and try to think of the right question and where I should go from here. "So did he say anything else afterwards or since then?"

He eyes me for a short moment. "No, not to me. He has made it known he wasn't too happy with me for not going along. But I guess he wasn't too upset either because as of now he hasn't done nothing to me. But," he goes silent once again as he bites his lower lip and he glances down at the picture of Juanita that he holds onto. Looking up he continues, "shortly after I read about the last family that got killed, it was spread around that Dagger, Sword and their elite group has left New York. Perhaps for good. Or just to hide out until things calmed down."

I glance at Baez for a short moment before eyeing Pablo and nod at him to let him know he is doing good. "Did they say where they would go?" I finally question.

"I. . .I don't think so," he stutters nervously as he goes to take a drink from his can of pop that is empty.

I nod at him again before I reach into my suit pocket and pull out the folded bright yellow printer paper that had been left on the front lawn of the last victim's house. "You are doing good, Pablo. Now, when we came to investigate the last burned house, my investigators had found this and brought it to my attention," I unfold the bright paper and lie out in front of him. Typed centered on the bright paper in big, bold, and black letters read **Following me would be Hazzard-ous, Reagan. **"Does that look familiar or sound familiar?"

He eyes it for a long moment and a shimmer of fear enters his dark eyes as he looks up at me. "N…no it doesn't. But detective," he pauses as he looks back at the paper and up at me, "for him to point you out like this, is not good. This means…this means he has it in for you. He will be waiting for you. Watching you. He will haunt you. It means…he will do what it takes to kill you." He goes silent, his fear in his eyes for me is evident before he shakes his head. "N…no. I don't mean for you think I am trying to scare or threaten you. I am not Detective Reagan. I am trying to warn you. I have seen him do some horrible things. When he calls you out like this…it means only one thing."

I nod in appreciation. "I know. Thank you, Pablo. I will keep my eyes open and be warned." I go back to nervously playing with my pen as my eyes fall back upon the paper that has plagued me ever since they had brought it to me. "So Pablo. We have been going through this…he has spelled Hazzard wrong. As if on purpose. And capitalized. So we looked it up on our computer and it seems like there is a small town in Georgia that spells it just like it is on the paper. We were hoping you would know a thing or two about that?"

He eyes the paper thoughtfully. "I never heard them say where they would go or why. I am just the rat. They wouldn't give me details like that," he states as he eyes the paper thoughtfully once more, "but it would be like him to lay a trail like that for you. Call you out in that matter. "

"Thank you Pablo. You have been very helpful. Baez here will get you another pop and will help you get things settled," I state sincerely as I stiffly stand up and hand him the tickets, "your plane will leave in an hour. So after you finish up here, one of our people will drive you to the airport where Rosa is already at with another of our officers. I hope you can make the most of this. Most people in your situation never get the chance."

"I know Detective. I know," Pablo grins appreciatively, "and I appreciate you giving me this chance. This opportunity."

"Good luck with it all and give Juanita a hug. They are only small for a little while," I give him a grin before I step out into the patrol room with Baez following me.

"I will give him another pop?" she asks me, eying me with dark eyes.

"Yes you will," I give her a small smile, "I am going to go to go talk to the captain and see about us going to this Hazzard, Georgia."

She rolls her dark eyes at me before she walks off towards the cafeteria to get another Dr. Pepper while I walk another way to where the captain's door is open and softly knock.

"It's open," a stern voice states and I take a deep breath before stepping in and the captain looks up from his desk. "Ah Reagan. I've been expecting you."

"Good. Then you know why I am here," I state while the Captain slowly stands from his desk, "we just got done interviewing Pablo…the witness we brought in against who has been doing these … murderers. And he all but confirms that we should go to Hazzard, Georgia."

The captain sighs heavily and nods. "I was afraid you would say that. I have done my own researching," he walks around only to sit on the edge of his desk, "seems Hazzard is a very small town. A farm town. An hour away from Atlanta. So, I called an old friend who works with Atlanta police to see what he knows. He says Hazzard is ran by Commissioner J. D. Hogg. Also known as Boss. Boss owns pretty much everything in Hazzard and has a way to make things go his way. He is all about making the extra buck no matter how much it makes his people pay. He says he has never been caught nor his sheriff, Sheriff Rosco Coltrane. But my friend says they are not to be trusted. Both are greedy and dishonest. So he says it would be best to be as vague as you can around them."

"Great," I state sarcastically as Baez silently joins us.

"Exactly what I said," the captain rolls his eyes, " so be warned. I didn't call and let them know, my friend said it may be best if you come unannounced. So you both will get the seven am flight out of New York City where he will have one of his men pick you up in Atlanta and take you down to the station to give you a car and some info. This is no vacation, Danny. You are down there on business."

"What?!" I ask exasperated. "If I wanted to go on vacation I'd be taking my family instead…well I'm sorry Baez."

"Not a problem," she states, flickering a smile at me.

"Good," he says as he eyes Baez, giving her the silent motion to go and she silently does as he is asking. As she leaves, he turns to look at me and sighs heavily before grabbing his cup of coffee. "You up to this Danny? Linda and the kids be ok with it?"

"They're gonna have to be. Since when you worried on whether they are OK with things or not?!" I ask frustrated where this is going.

"Just a question. I guess," he goes silent as he stares over my shoulder for a long moment and then back at me," I have to admit, that note keying you out like that, makes me nervous. As much as I hate to admit it, you are probably one of the best detectives I got. I can't afford to lose you. Heck, New York can't afford to lose you."

I give him a sarcastic smile. "Well thank you Captain. That means a lot coming from you," I nod at him, "not to worry. I will watch my back and get these monsters in jail before you know it."

"Good. Jail is too good for them, though," he dryly states. "Best of luck to you and Baez."

"Thanks," I state before leaving his office and walking across the hall to where my cubicle sits, my desk leaning against Baez's. "You ready for the trip?"

"I'm gonna have to be, right?" she grins at me as she puts her coat on, "I'll be at the air port at six tomorrow. Don't be late, Reagan. I'm not going there alone."

I nod at her. "See you then," I nod as I watch her walk away before picking up my phone to see I have a message on it so I slowly dial my password in it to hear my dad's voice gruffly state, "Danny. It's me. Please stop by my house on your way home. I have a favor to ask of you."

Pulling to a halt in the driveway of the house I had grown up in, I slowly turn the car off to flood the car in silence as old memories begin to race through me. Memories of my mom making our weekly Sunday dinner. Of the fights I had with my brothers and my sister. Of having to make up afterwards by either washing dishes together or working outside. Memories I often shove away and hide in order to keep my emotions at ease.

Sighing heavily I step out of my car and glance around as the sky seems to gradually grow darker as if to match my mood. This case had started out about the families and the gruesome crime that was committed for little to no reason and then they had to drop that note as if to taunt me. To let me know that they knew I was leading the case and was trying to scare me off. Well, I don't scare easily, but one of these times, perhaps I won't be lucky enough to escape the threat of the bad guy. Would this be the case that would do me in? And how would my family react? Who would be there for Linda and the boys?

"Danny!" I hear my dad's familiar voice yell out at me and I glance up to find my dad standing in the open door way and I force a smile at him as I begin to walk across the lawn and as I reach him, he draws me into a short hug. "So, you did get my message?"

I nod at him as I follow him into the kitchen and silently close the door behind me before glancing around the small kitchen before turning around to face. He gives me a small nod with a smile before he nervously begins to fuss with a pile of papers and I slowly get the sense that the favor he called me about, has something to do with work. Or he is about to ask me to do something that he knows I will object to and won't be too happy about.

I was born into a family of police. My grandfather spent his adult life as a police officer or detective before he worked himself up to be the police commissioner. My dad followed his steps into being a police officer and as my grandfather had retired, my dad took his place where he sits to be New York City's police commissioner.

And it seems like something that is in our blood. Our family calling. As my older brother was a police officer. A pretty damn good one. Until he was investigating a group of dirty cops and he was killed in the line of duty. I started out in the Army before I came home and joined the police and am now a police detective. My younger sister, Erin, had decided to take a slightly different route in life and is the assistant district attorney. And the youngest, my younger brother Jamison, Jamie, who went to law school, has now become a street cop.

"Yes I did, Commissioner, " I state with a small smile as I lean against the counter, "but I thought it would be best just to show up…calling you back would have wasted time."

"Yeah, it probably would have been," he slowly states as he turns away from his paper work as he bites onto his lower lip. "Look, as my message has stated, I have a huge favor to ask you. And before you get upset, this was my idea. Not Jamie's."

"Whoa whoa," I put my hands up, "before I get upset at you or Jamie, you mind telling me what this favor is? I mean who's to say I'll get upset."

"I know you, that's why," my dad turns around and looks at me before he walks over and grabs two bottles of beer and opens them both before handing me one. He watches as I appreciatively takes a drink of mine and put it down before he continues, "being the police commissioner, I have kept a good eye on this case that you caught. I have read up on it and through it all, I have learned that you and Baez are planning a trip to Hazzard, Georgia. You going tomorrow, at seven?"

"Yes sir," I nod, taking another sip of beer.

He nods, biting his lower lip, acting as if he is thinking this through for the first time, but knowing my dad, he has been thinking this through since he has heard of it. "As I said, I had a huge favor to ask of you and personally, I think it would be great for you and Jamie," he pauses for a long moment to place down his bottle before turning to me once more, "if you would take Jamie with you."

"Take Jamie with me?" I ask surprised, "What good would that do me?! I'll be in charge of him to make sure he don't get his fool head shot off! I'm sorry Dad," I state as disappointment seems to settle into his eyes, "but I am no babysitter."

"I am not asking you to baby sit your brother! He's old enough to take care of himself and he has been with the police long enough to defend for himself!" my dad is quick to throw back, giving me accusatory look, as if to say I am being selfish, "Look you know damn well that out of all of us, he has taken Joe's death the hardest. In fact, it was him who researched his murder and made justice be served to Joe's killers! That alone should show you he is skilled enough to handle himself!" he takes another long drink of his beer, "He has gone through a lot Danny. First Joe gets killed on duty and then last year his own partner, Vinny, was shot and killed! Heck, Vinny died in Jamie's arms!

"Look, all I am saying, is that Jamie is going through a lot right now. He may not come out and say it to you or me, but as his father, I can tell he is having a hard time handling it. And as the police commissioner, think it would help him if he were to have a break from New York City and this case of your's seems to give him that opportunity. He can go and help you and Baez and see how the big boys do it," he goes silent as he watches me, waiting for me to object to his favor.

"So it will help Jamie," I slowly speak up, hesitant to incriminate myself any farther, "but how will it help me? You said it would be best for both of us."

He nods as if in understanding. "Fair enough question," he slowly states, "you and him has always had a hard time seeing eye to eye on things. Getting along. Joe helped you two out a lot to get along and to understand each other. And well, without him, you don't have that bridge to help you. Perhaps this trip. This case will help with that."

I give a small laugh. "I think Linda said the same thing shortly after we arrested those murderers who killed Joe," I slowly admit.

"Well, Linda is right," my dad states, "as I said, this wasn't Jamie's idea and in fact, he had argued against it when I brought it up to him."

I sigh heavily. "Are you asking as the police commissioner or as my dad?"

"Jamie asked the same thing and I will tell you the same as I did him," he pauses as the creak of the floor boards brings our attention to the living room where we find my youngest brother, Jamie standing there watching us. Looking back at me, my dad says, "I am asking as both."

"So in other words," I say with a half smile, "you are not asking, you are ordering me take that thing with us."

"That thing is your brother," my dad answers, "and I guess you can say that."

"Well get packing, I'll be here at five thirty to pick you up," I say to my brother before turning to my dad, "thanks for the beer. I better get home to Linda and the boys so we can have at least a little time together."


	2. Chapter 1

_** CHAPTER ONE**_

"What were you thinking?!" I hear myself yell over the loud jukebox that plays across the bar from us before I force myself to take a deep breath. "Oh yeah, that's right," I pause for affect as I stare accusingly across the table at my cousin who looks at me with a dumbfound expression, "you don't think."

"Luke," he whines as I angrily stand up and I can feel everyone's eyes locked in on me. Locked in on us in anticipation of what is happening and what will happen next. Everyone seemingly to silently chant fight towards Bo and I; looking for some sort of excitement. "I didn't do nothing." Bo brings my attention back to him as he follows suit and slowly stands up, his blue eyes seemingly plead me not to be upset at him. "I promise."

"You didn't do nothing?! What you mean, you didn't do nothing?!" I yell exasperated at him, "What you call this?" I motion down at the paper that lies unfolded upon the old scarred wooden table, "You think, Jesse is going to call this _nothing_?!"

Bo silently looks down at the folded paper that lies on the table, eying it as if it were the first time he saw it despite the fact that he has been carrying it around for over a week now. "Well…no," he silently responds as he falls back into his chair, as if too weak to stand any longer.

"I hate this, Bo. Same thing every time. You go and mess up and it is up to ME to get you out of it! What if," I go silent as I force myself to sit back down in order to look at him in the eyes, "what if I tell you, that I give up…that I am no longer going to clean up your messes? That you are on your own?!"

He looks at me silently for a long time before he slowly glances away, biting his lip in thought. "I…I don't know," he slowly confesses before turning back to look at me.

I shake my head as I force myself to read the paper entirely and find myself inhaling deeply. "Another damn ticket, Bo. Really?" I ask him as the jukebox slowly finishes the song and for a moment, an loud air of silence fills the room before being filled with laughter and conversation of other people in the bar. "Sixty-five dollars. You think we can afford a sixty-five dollar ticket? What Jesse say last month when you brought home that other ticket?"

Bo remains silent for a long moment as he stares at his drink in front of him before his eyes wonder around the room as if seeking a way to escape. "That we couldn't afford no more tickets," he slowly states, sounding like a school boy who just got in trouble by his teacher, "but it's not my fault, Luke! The damn speed limit was fifty-five. I was going forty-five…fifty at the most!"

"You know Rosco! You know his damn speeding traps…and you being the best driver around, should be the one to escape him!" I yell once more as my thoughts fall upon Jesse and how stressed and worried he has been the past couple of months over the lack of money. Worrying if we can pay the next month's mortgage as the commissioner has once more raised the costs. Worry and stress that he fights to hide from everyone, but I had caught on a month ago when I read the commissioner's mortgage letter to Jesse. Had confronted Jesse about where he reluctantly told me our financial situation.

I sigh heavily as guilt slowly gnaws within me. Guilt at getting so upset at Bo who is oblivious to the letter, to our financial situation. He has lived the past month as if nothing has changed when Jesse has been worrying silently over all this. As I have attempted help him with little success. It's not Bo's fault and yet I seem to find a way to take it out on Bo. As if that will help anything.

"It's not like I didn't try, Luke," Bo hesitantly breaks the silence, regret shines in his bright blue eyes as he runs his long fingers through his thick golden blond hair, "I was outrunning him…until dang Enos had to drive out in front of me. I barely missed hitting him!"

I find myself nodding as I eye the ticket and think of what he is saying. Only in Hazzard does the commissioner use his power and authority to extract money from his people for himself. Only in Hazzard are the law crooked enough to write tickets when you are obeying the law. Only in Hazzard…

Grabbing the ticket I slowly fold it up and shove it into my shirt's chest pocket while thinking of ways we could earn the money. "Ok, ok. Look Bo," I slowly state as our cousin Daisy walks up to the table carrying a pitcher of beer.

"Refill boys?" she questions us, eyeing us with concern in her brown eyes.

"No. Think Bo and I were on our way out," I speak up for the both of us, "thanks though."

She nods as she eyes Bo for a long moment and then looks at me. "What's with the heated discussion?" she asks before glancing around and sits down next to me.

"Rosco gave Bo a sixty-five dollar speeding ticket a week ago for going the speed limit," I roll my eyes as I see concern in her eyes as well to make me wonder if she knows what is going on as well. Which would leave only Bo in the dark.

"Sixty-five dollars?!" she yells before looking around in embarrassment before looking at Bo and whispers, "Really Bo? Why?"

I glance across the table at Bo who leans back into his chair as if giving up. "It's not like I went out to get the damn ticket," he finally states, crossing his arms across his chest.

Daisy rolls his eyes at him. "You can go months without getting caught. With no ticket. Of being smarter than Rosco…and within one month you go and get yourself two tickets! Bo," Daisy scolds him and I slowly begin to feel sorry for Bo, "you do recall how upset Jesse was when you brought home the last ticket? What he said?" Daisy goes silent as if expecting Bo to answer her and when he doesn't, she takes a deep breath before continuing, "He was very clear when he said we don't have money for your bad driving habits…that you get another ticket, you might as well as start calling The General Lee your home, because that is where you'll be sleeping!"

Once again, a thick air of silence fills the room and I glance around to find the few people in the room, watching us in anticipation of what is happening. Glancing back, I state, "Relax Daisy. Getting upset isn't the answer here."

"Then what is, Luke? We're going to be kicked out and living on the streets pretty soon and he -" she begins to say, making it clear that she does know the situation.

I interrupt her by placing a hand on her arm and shaking my head at her and she is quick to get my drift and we both look across the table at Bo who quickly becomes alert and sits up in his chair. "What she talking about, Luke?" he questions in confusion, "We're being kicked out of the farm? Why? When?"

"We aren't getting kicked out of anywhere. Money is just tight right now and it has Jesse worrying and stressing out. Got us all worrying it sounds like," I calmly state, "but look, we'll get things figured out. Things always have a way of falling into place."

Bo eyes me for a long while before glancing over at Daisy, obviously not satisfied with my answer but yet not wanting to argue with me. "Yeah sure," he reluctantly states.

"Luke's right sugar. Didn't mean to worry you," Daisy states, trying to save herself before switching the topic back to Bo's ticket, "You got it a week ago? Why bring it up now?"  
Bo sighs audibly before people go back to talking amongst themselves once more. "Because I knew how y'all would react. It wasn't something I was looking forward to. What was I suppose to do? Rush home and say look y'all, I messed up again!?" Bo questions sarcastically to force silence between the three of us.

"Well look. How about we go talk to Cooter? Perhaps he has a job he can give us or knows someone who is looking for help," I slowly state as I stiffly stand back up again, "that would be willing to pay. We could pay off your ticket and perhaps help Jesse with the mortgage…all in one."

Daisy and Bo slowly stand up as well and Daisy leans in to give me a gentle hug and whispers, "Sorry," in my ear. Stepping back, she smiles at Bo and then at me, before stating, "Good luck with that. I have to get back to work."

We both nod at her before Bo reluctantly walks around the table and we slowly walk through the thin aisle between the tables and to the front door where the chilly wind greets us. "Hey look, Luke," Bo slowly states, "I'm sorry. Really I am. I -"

"Hey, look, cuz. It's not you who should be apologizing. It's me. I'm sorry for getting upset. For overreacting. We all know how Rosco is and we all know you didn't go out to get the ticket," I apologize as I place a supporting hand upon his tense shoulders, "We'll work through this and things will work out as they-"

I am quick to cut myself off as we walk around the corner to find two Hazzard County patrol cars parked directly behind the General Lee with their sirens on silent but flashing blue and red across the dirt parking lot. "Rosco," Bo states as he eyes me full of panic, silently asking me what we should do. I place a finger over my lips to signify silence as we slowly walk over closer to find both Sheriff Rosco and Deputy Enos leaning into the open windows of The General.

"Sheriff Coltrane and Deputy Strait," I gruffly state, stepping in front of Bo to take the lead. Both officers alertly stand up as if caught in middle of a crime, eyes open wide in surprise. "in what nature are you searching our car? You better have a damn good reason to be doing so!"

"Yeah. Um," Deputy Strait says from the driver's door, waving shyly at us, "hi boys."

"Enos!" Sheriff Coltrane yells back at his deputy who jumps, "You are not to be talking to known criminals! Geesh!" he rolls his piercing eyes at the deputy before he turns and takes a step towards us while grabbing a paper out of his back pocket, "I got this here paper that gives me the right to search every crook and cranny of that car as well as on your persons."

"Oh yeah?" Bo says behind me, "How come?"

Rosco eyes Bo grudgingly for a long moment. "For armed robbery of Hogg's Bank. Over an hour ago," he sternly states while shaking his head, "I would think the two of you would be smarter than running and hiding at the Boar's Nest…but I guess I was wrong."

"We didn't rob no bank and you know it!" Bo yells back at him as he steps up towards me and I block him from going any farther.

"Oh yeah?" Rosco questions back, "In a matter of fact we know you two did do it. We got witness that describe two men in ski masks that looks to be you two!"  
"How can they describe us if your crooks were wearing masks?" Bo angrily throws back at them.

"Ghee..ghee," Rosco stutters, "your height. What you wear. Your boots. Clothes. How you talked. Oh we got you good this time…and this time you boys messed up real bad. Your Uncle Jesse's gonna be real ashamed of you and of what you did this time. Not only did you rob the bank, you also stabbed one of the tellers. Luckily the hospital don't think it will be life threatening…but I bet it hurt all the same."

"We did what?!" Bo yells and I once again, block him from going any closer to the sheriff, "This is the lowest you and Hogg has ever gone! Luke 'n' me didn't go rob no bank and we sure as heck didn't hurt no one!"

"You didn't, did you? Then why is it that we found this in the glove box of The General Lee?" Rosco questions matter of factly as he glances over at Enos who stands silently watching us. "Well show 'em Enos!" Rosco demands and Enos jumps before reaching over and lifting up a zip log baggy with a sharp knife in it. "That there is the crime weapon. Blood all over it. Bet when we run it, the blood will match your victim's blood. Yep. You two are going away for a long time this time."

Before I can say or motion towards Bo, I feel him slowly slinking back behind me and I turn towards Rosco before taking a step closer to him. "Well Sherriff," I pause taking the attention away from Bo, "I feel real awful for the victim, but I can guarantee you that you got the wrong people. I bet you even planted that knife there, didn't you?"

He goes to nod before he tightens up in frustration and points at me. "I did no such thing, Luke Duke! We found the evidence fair and square!" he finally yells at me, "You and Bo gone and messed up big time!"

"Oh yeah?" I question, "Before I can believe you, I think I need to see that search warrant. Would hate for you to mess up such a perfect crime scene by not having the right documents."

"Ghee. Ghee," he stutters again before rolling his eyes in frustration at me and yanks the paper out, "I ain't messing up anything! Here it is."

I take a second to look at it as I hear Bo quietly close the driver's door. "Well what ya know," I state as I fold in two and begin to tear it up, "it is a search warrant." With that I throw the pieces behind Rosco where the wind catches it and he turns to slowly chase after the pieces.

I turn towards the passenger door, I eye Enos who nervously glances at Rosco and back at me. Unsure what he should do or rather what is the right thing to do. I wink at him before throwing open the passenger door and slamming the door shut, I hear Enos yell, "Sheriff!"

"Hit it," I state to Bo despite the fact he was already hitting the accelerator and he peels away from our car and the deputy's parked patrol car. I turn around just in time to see Rosco hitting Enos with his hat before running around the car to the driver's side to climb in while Enos climbs into his passenger seat. "Well, you should be happy now." I dryly state as I turn around in my seat as we quickly leave the parking lot.

"What?!" Bo asks in surprise, "We are now wanted to for armed robbery. Assault or hurting one of the bank tellers. Now we have succeeding in stealing Rosco's patrol car…only to add onto the other false charges that they are charging us with…why should that make me happy?!"

"Well," I shrug as I lean over and turn off the flashing police lights, "this will make Jesse totally forget about that speeding ticket you got a week ago."

I get a small smile from Bo out of that one who nervously glances in the rearview mirror before looking back out the mud splattered windshield. "Yeah," he pauses thoughtfully as he jerks the car sharply left, "and we won't have to worry about getting kicked out of the farm…we'll have free room and board at the state pen while Jesse and Daisy has to worry about losing the farm. Right?"

"Just drive. Hopefully it won't come to that," I answer slowly as I watch the angry patrol car out through the side mirror, attempting to think of what to do next.

"You got it, cuz," Bo states as he sharply takes a right turn onto the grass, "what you wanna do  
now? We got Rosco spittin' mad now…"

"I see that," I slowly state as I glance ahead, "though you do know that there is a cliff up ahead…"

"Oh yeah," Bo slowly states before going silent in thought for a brief moment before an ornery smile crosses his face, "ah that's better yet!"

I shake my head at him, knowing exactly what he is thinking. "Bo, that's crazy!" I am quick to try to persuade him, "You'll total our only car…plus put us both in the hospital!"

He eyes me, still smiling broadly. "Geesh. Thanks for the trust," he finally turns to look ahead as the sharp cliff comes into view, "we'll lose 'em here and be home free."

I shake my head as I watch the patrol car behind us seeming to slow down in anticipation that we'll have to slow down ahead as well. "Well, I guess this is our chance. Looks like Rosco is going to be smart for once and not follow your fool self over the cliff," I state as I sink back into the seat while holding onto the arm rest tightly.

Bo glances up into the rearview mirror and nods in satisfaction as he shoves the accelerator down to the floor and the patrol car jumps head from under us. "Hang on cuz," he states with a confident smile just as Bo sends Rosco's patrol car flying off the ten foot cliff. And as the car takes air, Bo lets out one of his famous rebel yells, "Yee haa!"

After what seems to be forever, the car harshly lands upon the grassy ground and Bo yanks the wheel over to shove the car to a sudden halt. I glance back at the cliff in time to see Rosco turning Enos' patrol car before something catches my attention and my heart comes to a sudden halt as I see a black sedan car parked under the cliff three people standing besides the car. All three staring at us. "Well Bo," I slowly state as I stare at the car we had just jumped over, "congratulation on landing on all fours…and at losing Rosco for the time being. But you just jumped over that car and those people…"

"Yeah. Uh. I see that," Bo nervously states as he glances over at me, "they look OK to me, though."

I shake my head at him. "We best go check up on them," I sigh heavily as I motion for him to turn the car around. He slowly nods before whipping the steering wheel around and we slowly drive up to the parked car where there is two men in suits standing near the car with a woman. All three are staring wildly at us while one of them holds a map out on the hood of their car.

I glance away from them to look at Bo who gives me a small smile before we both slowly open the door and step out into the chilly air.

The older of the two men with thin reddish brown hair steps forward to silently let everyone know that he is in charge. He eyes us with angry green eyes as his hands are shoved deeply into the pockets of his suit jacket, his eyes going from Bo, to me, to the car behind us, and back to us. "What in the world do you think you are doing?!" the man finally yells to break his silence, taking another intimidating step towards us, his hands still lost in his jacket pocket. "You just jumped that cliff!" He pauses to glance at the cliff over him and once again back at our car and at us, "You could have killed us!"

I sigh heavily and steal a glance over at Bo who nervously looks at the people ahead of us before he looks at me and shrugs, lost at what to do. Looking back at the man who is in charge, I take a deep breath and say, "Yeah we um," I pause and for a moment am lost in the irony of our situation or as it probably appears to them. "we were making sure the car was working alright and my cousin here," I point over at Bo who offers a small smile at them, "kinda got carried away. We didn't know you were down here. You all alright?" I ask and look around and the younger man and the woman both silently nod. "Good. We are very sorry."

"Yeah," Bo nods, "I am sorry too. I would never have jumped there, if I had known you were parked there."

The headman eyes us doubtfully before glancing back at the two people he was with and back at us. "You could have killed us and all you have to say is sorry?" he finally questions, "Do you even know what this looks like to us?"

Bo and I look at each other before looking back at them. "Well I am sure it is something you don't see every day," I finally offer them with a shrug, "and being in a police car, probably makes it a little bit more odd."

"Odd," he offers an ornery and sarcastic smile, "that's a nice word to fit it all. Odd. I would say it was a bit odd, wouldn't you Baez?" he looks back at the woman who nods and back at us, "It also looks like that other police car was chasing you…which makes it even more…odd."

"Yeah well," I slowly speak up, shoving my own hands into my pockets, "this is Hazzard. We tend to do things differently."

The man in front of us gives a sarcastic laugh and the woman he had called Baez steps up and asks, "You mean you all do that," she pauses to look at us with piercing dark brown eyes, "regularly?"

"Do what?" Bo finally speaks up as if he is having a hard time understanding what was so odd about what happened.

"Drive the sheriff's car? Get chased by the other police car?" she questions, "Jump or fly off cliffs?"

Bo and I both shrug. "Well, not drive the sheriff's car," I finally offer them, but the other two seems to happen regularly. Bo here likes to test the accelerator from time to time."

With that, Baez and the lead guy looks questionably at each other before looking back at us. "Guess you do, do things differently down here," he finally states, seemingly to ease up a bit, "then again, there isn't much cliffs in New York City to jump from."

"New York?" I question, "What brings you down to Hazzard, Georgia?"

With that he eyes the both of us before glancing behind him once more at the cliff and back at the patrol car behind us and then back to Bo and I. He abruptly yanks his hand out of his pocket, his fingers clinching onto what looks like a billfold. Taking a step forward he opens it up to us to show us a bright metal badge. "I'm Police Detective Danny Reagan, my partner Maria Baez, and my brother Jamie," he points at the younger guy behind him before staring back at us, "we are here on a case. Our snitch gave us info leading to this…odd town of your's."

Bo and I once again look at each other and back at them. "NYPD?" I ask them as I once again take them in and they all slightly nod at me, "Well, if there is anything we could to help, just name it."

"I don't think we need any help, but thanks," he forces a smile at us before motioning towards while asking, "Sorry to say, but you two don't look like no police officers. Then again, things aren't as they seem to be…at least that is what I gathered from the few minutes we have been in Hazzard. You may be…"

"Well for once, things are as they seem," I pause for a long moment as my mind races rapidly within me of what I should say. "we don't work with the police department. I am Luke Dukes and this here is my cousin, Bo Duke."

He nods silently. "And yet you are driving the sheriff's car? Or rather, you are flying the sheriff's car…" he questions us, "I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time understanding what is going on here. Because from where I am standing, it looks like you stole the sheriff's car and he was trying to chase you down…in which case, we should be arresting you right now," he pauses for a long moment, "actually we should arrest you. Arrest you for the attempted murder of three police officers."

"Murder?!" Bo yells as he takes a step forward and I am quick to hold him back, "What you talking about murder? We didn't kill no one…or try to kill no one!"

"Really? You didn't try to kill us?" Detective Reagan questions sarcastically, "Because you nearly killed us when you jumped over that damn cliff!

"Yeah," Bo nods, "but apparently, we didn't."

"Bo!" I yell at him and yank him back to me before I angrily whisper in his ear, "That's enough. You are getting us into more trouble . . .control your temper!"

Bo eyes me, ready to fight, before he glances back up at the detective. "Look Detective," Bo spits out, glaring at the officers that stand in front of us, "we already apologized for what we did! What else do you want from us?"

Detective Reagan eyes Bo harshly before glancing over at me and the car once again before sighing in resignation. "What I want? It's not about what I want," he slowly states, "but what I need to do. Perhaps you should start explaining why you are driving your sheriff's car and why he was giving you chase. What? He let you borrow his car and then changed his mind?"

I give him a sarcastic laugh. "Look Detective. The law around here is something different. They are dishonest," I respond, leaning on the hood of the sheriff's car, "and we do our best to keep them honest. Otherwise the good folk of hazzard will get ripped off by Commissioner Hogg and Sheriff Coltrane. And well," I shrug, "Hogg and Coltrane don't like that very much. So in turn, they do all that they can to get us off the streets by framing us of crimes we didn't commit. Which leaves us with little choice, but to have to clear our name. They took our car," I pause for a long moment, "so we took their car. We'll give it back once we get home or somewhere they won't find us at."

"What?!" Reagan exclaims, "I'm suppose to believe _that_?!"

"Believe what you want to believe," Bo states, his arms folded across his chest, "but it is what it is. Go ask around Hazzard. Heck, go talk to Hogg and Coltrane and you will see what we have to put up with. Every day."

"Bo," I whisper from behind him, in attempt to stop him from saying too much.

"Well Reagan," Baez says, pausing to look at her map and then up at us, "you did say the captain's friend warned you about this police commissioner and his sheriff. And how dishonest they were. Not to be trusted. Kind of fits their description."

"But they stole the sheriff's car!" Reagan states, motioning to the car behind us, "Plus tried killing us with it!"

"Which, we didn't," Bo is quick to add.

"Will you drop it already?" Baez states, full of attitude, "Swallow your pride and ask them for help. You do it or I will do it…because so far, sitting here trying to find our way to Hazzard has only got us jumped over by the sheriff's car."

Reagan eyes her harshly before looking back at us harshly. "OK fine," he states throwing his arms up in resignation, "we were pulled over to look at the damn map. Trying to find this so called town of your's. Maria thinks we passed the road. I don't. Jamie thinks this whole trip is for nothing and there is no town of Hazzard. Now one of us, has to be right. Please tell me it's me."

I give him a small laugh. "Well, Hazzard may not be big, but there is a town of Hazzard. Sorry Jamie. And you could have turned left back a mile or so ago, so I guess Detective Baez could be right," I state standing up, hoping that this new track of conversation will take them off the thought of arresting us, "but Reagan is right too. Keep going straight and you will eventually get to town. How about you follow us to town? You going to the sheriff's station?"

"Yes sir," Reagan gives a slight nod.

"We will lead you to it…or stop in front of it before going to the garage that is across the street. That way if you need anything else, well, you can come find us," I assure them, "and for your info, your captain's buddy is right. Hogg and Coltrane are not to be trusted. They will use anything they can to earn an extra buck. To work for them. Heck, they hired us to transfer Georgia's most dangerous criminal to Hazzard where his trial was suppose to be at…Hogg was planning on bringing the media, circus. Sounded about everything to town to celebrate or bring attention to this trial. Of course, all profits were going to go into Hogg's pocket. Lucky for everyone, the trial was moved again to another town. Just an example of what you are up against…and whatever Hogg is for, his sheriff will be there supporting him and doing what he wants."

Danny nods slightly in acknowledgement. "Will keep that in mind," he glares over at Bo for a long time before turning to climb back into the driver's seat of the black car while Baez grabs the map and slips into the passenger seat.

I glance over at Bo who rolls his eyes at me before turning around and we both climb into the patrol car and as I close my door behind me, Bo turns the car around. Bo drives in silence for a long moment, watching the car behind him before staring through the windshield as he maneuvers his way back onto the dusty dirt road. "OK Luke," he breaks his silence, "tell me this," he pauses for affect, his hands clench tightly onto the steering wheel, "how are we to drive up to the police station, in Rosco's stolen patrol car, and then go into the Hazzard Garage without being caught? Or did you forget the list of trumped up charges Rosco and Hogg has for us?"

"I didn't forget," I wave him away as I stare out the window in thought for a moment, "I don't know how we are going to do that. Maybe we will be arrested. Then, I guess, so be it. But after you jumped over them like that, they deserve our help."

"Deserves our help?" Bo questions shaking his head, still upset about it all, "He accuses us of trying to _kill_ them and you turn around and offer to help him? You think he is going to change his mind by leading him to the way to the jail?" he laughs sarcastically, "We are just showing him the way to the jail so that he can turn around and arrest us!"

"Maybe so," I agree as I reach over and grab the CB off of the console and change the channel, "Crazy Cooter. You out there?"

Static is quick to answer me before the recognizable voice of Cooter Davenport responds, "This is Crazy Cooter. What can I do for you?"

"Hey Coot, it's lost sheep," I responds, sighing in relieve, "please tell me you're hangin' out at the garage as we speak."

"That's a ten four, lost sheep," he responds, "what can I do for you?"

"We are heading into town as we speak. In fact, your garage just came into view," I slowly state as we exchange the dirt road for the only paved road in Hazzard, "and we were hoping you'd have your doors open to greet us when we got there."

"They's a open," he respond, "and I'll be waitin' for you."

"Thanks Cooter," I respond as I throw the CB handle back down onto the seat and watch as Bo halts in front of the police second a short second before he turns the patrol car sharply into Cooter's garage.

"Hey Rosco," Cooter states as I open the door and he jumps up off from sitting on top of his cluttered desk, "I was just closing down for lunch. Gotta make an appointment for me to fix that car of your's, just like everyone else. Now if you -" he stops as I step out of the car as well as Bo, "Luke Duke. Bo?!"

"Shhh Cooter. Can you close the doors?" I ask urgently.

"Uh yeah," he states dumbfounded before he quickly runs over to the raised garage door and slams it shut, walking up to us, he asks, "what you doing in Rosco's car?"

I glance over at Bo who only shrugs his shoulders at me, still upset at the fact that we have went out of our ways to help the enemy. Sighing heavily, I glance over at Cooter and slowly begin to explain the day's events that had led us to seeking refuge in his garage.

As I go silent, Cooter eyes Bo and I wildly before glancing back at Rosco's parked patrol car. "You mean to tell me," he drawls as he looks back at us, "that Hogg and Rosco has framed you for that bank robbery? You stole Rosco's car and jumped over a parked NYPD car…and you helped lead the NYPD to the sheriff's station? In Rosco's stolen patrol car, I will add?"

Bo gives a sarcastic laugh before his hand lands upon my shoulder and I feel myself jump slightly in surprise. "Sounds about right," he slowly states with irritation clear in his voice, "all thanks to my genius cousin, Luke, here."

I shake my head at him before I shrug his heavy hand off of my shoulder. "Well Bo, if you weren't the bright one to jump over them, I wouldn't have felt obliged to help them. Now would I?" I shoot back at him, "But yeah, Cooter, sounds about right."

"Y'all gone and done it this time," Cooter states as he readjusts his yellow ball cap over his thick brown hair before he runs a grease stained hand over his thin beard, "first you go and make Rosco mad. And then you go get an NYPD detective mad. Yep, I say you boys are in a heap of trouble now…"

"Thanks Cooter," Bo states sarcastically as he sits down on an over turned milk crate with a look of defeat wrote across his young face, "perhaps you could now tell us something we already don't know."

I watch them both for a moment before stepping over to the window that lies on the upper half of the walk in door to watch the sheriff's station for a long moment. Staring at the brink building, I allow my thoughts to run past the day's events; from getting upset at Bo to finding the law searching our car. To their story and stealing their patrol car that had led us to jumping over the cliff and to us helping the detectives to the police station. Only to send flashes of panic rippling through me with all that is now against us and all that could happen. Of all that could go wrong.


	3. Chapter 2

_** CHAPTER TWO**_

Parking the borrowed Atlanta Police car behind the mud splattered older patrol car, I silently watch as the beaten sheriff's car slowly slides to a halt inside of the old mechanic's garage that lies across the street. A minute later, a man in a ball cap runs to the garage door and slams the wooden garage door shut, to hide the sheriff's car inside. For a long moment, I stare silently at the closed door as my mind quickly races within me of all that had happened several minutes ago as we had stopped to look at the map. Only to send confusion thickly rushing through me. On an outward appearance, it was obvious that the two country boys had stolen the sheriff's car and the sheriff had angrily gave them chase only for the two country boys to lose the law by jumping over the cliff…and us. Most criminals would have only worried about their freedom and their safety and would have given us little thought. But not them. They turned around and made sure we were OK. Apologized. And then, offered to lead us to the sheriff's station…in the sheriff's stolen car.

"What are you waiting for Danny?" Baez asks impatiently in the passenger seat, "You having second thoughts on not arresting them boys?"

I shake my head and shrug at the same time. "I…I don't know," I pause for a long moment as I grab my cell phone out of my pocket, "I am going to give the captain's buddy in Atlanta a call. See what he has to say about them."

Baez nods at me as I find the detective's number I had saved in my phone before pushing the call button. "You know," she states as she watches the old garage, "we could just go ask the commissioner what he has to say about those two boys. After all, it is their car that they stole."

"Yeah, but according to everyone," Jamie breaks his silence in the back seat, "the law in this town isn't to be trusted. So if you ask the sheriff or the commissioner about those two, there is no way to know whether or not they are lying."

"Burrows," a gruff voice interrupts the rhythmic buzz in the phone and I am quick to ignore Baez's and Jamie's conversation.

"Detective Burrows," I respond and both Baez and Jamie stop talking to give me silence in the car, "This is Detective Danny Reagan. We have made it to Hazzard and are about to go in and meet this Commissioner Hogg and his sheriff you were telling us about."

He gives a sarcastic laugh. "As I said," he pauses and I hear him typing in the background, "best of luck to you all with them. They are something else, that's for sure."

"I appreciate your warning and the info you gave us. We appreciate all of your help," I pause to watch a family walk past us on the sidewalk, the parents talking to each other, the mom carrying a small baby while a young boy and his older sister run up ahead of them. "and I apologize to be calling and bugging you. Am sure you all are busy, but was wondering if you could do me one more huge favor."

"As I told your captain and I told you earlier, I am here to be as much help as I possibly can. I'd send you a few of my guys, but they are all pretty busy with their case loads," he responds, "what is it that I can do for you, Detective?"

"I was wondering if you could look up a couple of local boys. One is Luke Duke and the other is his cousin, Bo Duke," I answer, my attention falls upon the closed garage door once more as I speak their names.

"Bo Duke and Luke Duke. Got it," he responds, "I am typing it into the database as we speak. They causing you trouble already?"

"No. I wouldn't say they are causing us trouble," I pause as I glance down at my watch, "but we had a small talk with them and it seemed a bit odd. Got us wondering what they are all about and all."

"I see," he states and I hear him typing once more. "Here we are. Beauregard T. Duke and Lukas K. Duke. They were raised by their Uncle Jesse. Luke served some time in the Marines. Had a tour in Afghanistan." He goes silent for a long moment and his typing once more fills the phone. "He returned home three years ago where Bo and him got arrested for running a load of moonshine. Seems it was the family business. But it says here that they were able to make a deal that put them on probation, no jail time, if they agreed to stop making and running shine. They agreed and have seemed to have kept their promise as there is no other accounts of them being arrested, but," he pauses once more and I assume it is to read his computer. "it shows here several cases in Hazzard where they had some part in having people arrested in Hazzard or helping find stolen goods. Seem like honest people from what I am reading here. But look, a couple of the officers names on here are people I know. I can go ask around. See what they say and get back to you."

"That would be greatly appreciated," I respond as Baez throws open her door and Jamie slowly does the same, "thanks for the info and your help."

"Not a problem Detective. If there is anything else, let me know," he states before he hangs up.

"Bye to you too," I state into the dead air before pocketing the phone and turning to Baez and Jamie and relay all that he had said.

"Just goes to show," Baez states as she steps out of the car and Jamie and I do the same, "that things aren't always as they appear."

After walking down the wide hall way of the sheriff's station, we finally come to a closed door with a thick foggy window on the upper half of the door with the words: **Sheriff's Station **printed boldly in the center. Sighing heavily in attempt to clear my emotions and thoughts, I slowly glance at Baez and Jamie who both nod at me. "Let's get this over with," I whisper to them before I slowly open the door and lead them into an open wooden room and past a couple of desks.

"Howdy there," a thin man says with a bright smile across his face as he steps around the desk that sits in front of an empty cell, "I'm Deputy Enos Strait. How can I help y'all?"

"Well Deputy," I nod at him as I slowly glance around the room, taking it all in, "I am Detective Danny Reagan. There is my partner Maria Baez and Officer Jamie Reagan. We are here to talk to a Sheriff Rosco Coltrane and a Commissioner JD Hogg."

"Wow. Detectives in Hazzard!" he states in an excited voice, "Well, let me tell you. Y'all are in luck, because both the sheriff and the commissioner are in the commissioner's office right now. You want me to go get them?"

I shake my head at him. "How about you just tell us where to go and we can give them a little surprise," I force a grin at the local hick cop, "everyone likes a surprise here and there. Right?"

He looks at me a bit confused for a minute before smiling and nodding. "Right. OK," he nervously states, "Commissioner Hogg's office is right here." He walks over to the closed door with the same foggy glass with Commissioner JD Hogg boldly stenciled on it.

"Thank you Deputy Strait," I nod at him and wait for him to return to his desk before turning back to the closed door and quickly turn the handle to shove the door open. Inside the large office, a short round man in a three piece white suit and a white cowboy hat, jumps up from the swivel chair behind the oak desk while slamming shut a metal box. Standing on the other side of the cluttered desk is a taller and skinnier man in a patrol uniform who jumps in surprise before eyeing us with sharp blue eyes.

"W…who are you?!" the short man yells, eyeing us with angry dark brown eyes, "And who you think you are running in here without knocking?!"

"Yeah, who you think you are anyway?!" the sheriff echoes the smaller man.

I take them both in quietly for a long moment before forcing a small smile at them as I pull out my wallet that holds my badge. "Who I think I am?" I ask them in return as I unfold the badge and hold it up, "I think I am NYPD Detective Danny Reagan. My partner Maria Baez. And Officer Jamie Reagan. I assume you are Commissioner J.D. Hogg?" I eye the man in the suit who slowly sits back down and gives a short nod. Looking at the man in the uniform, I state, "And you being Sheriff Rosco Coltrane."

"That I am," he responds with a proud smile before his attention is drawn back to the commissioner who throws open a desk door and he shoves the metal box into the door before slamming it shut. "I hate to burst your ego Detective," the sheriff states to bring my attention back to him, "but that nice shiny badge of your's don't give you no right to burst into Boss' office like that. Unannounced. Aren't you suppose to call before coming? Not alone knock before opening the door. What brings you all to Hazzard?"

I eye him for a long moment and he nervously takes a step back. "My shiny badge gives me every right to burst in here and to call ahead and knock may be the polite thing to do," I shrug my shoulders, "but ask my partner. Ask my brother. I am not a very polite person."

"Apparently not Detective," the commissioner smugly states behind the desk, "but you are not answering my sheriff's question. What brings you to this nice town of Hazzard? We didn't call in for help…especially to New York."

I give them a small nod. "Well sheriff, we are investigating a series of murders that happened in New York City. Gruesome murders. Murders of three innocent families. Parents. Children. Babies. A grandma," I pause for dramatic effect, "And thanks to a couple of clues and to a witness, we have reasons to believe that the killers have ran to Hazzard to hide out for a while."

"Killers?" the sheriff asks, fear in his voice, "In Hazzard?"

"Shut up Rosco," the commissioner states impatiently, "there is no killers in Hazzard." He turns away from his sheriff to address me, "Look mister -"

"It's detective, Commissioner," I interrupt him.

He waves me off. "Fine. Detective," he pauses as he opens a top door of the desk to pull out a card board box and pulls out a fat cigar, "that is one scary and fancy story you just made up," he goes silent as he lights up his cigar and the room fills with cigar smoke, "but no one, I say no one, enters or leaves Hazzard without me knowing. No one. So," he pauses once more with a broad smile across his chubby face, "if there was killers hiding here in Hazzard, I would know about it." He looks at me confidently and shrugs. "Sorry to be the one to inform you that you have wasted your time and your trip here, because there is no killers in Hazzard."

I eye him for a long moment before I glance back at Jamie who hands me the manila folder he had been holding. I nod in appreciation before turning back to the commissioner. "I think you are full of hot air, Commissioner Hogg. If you know everyone who enters and leaves Hazzard, as you say," I begin to say as I open the folder and look over it to continue, "then why were you so surprised when we came through your door?"

"Well I, I," he stutters before he sucks on his cigar and lets out a thick cloud of smoke, "so I got busy and missed you all. Despite that, I assure you, you are wasting your time here."

"Am I?" I question him, "Well, how about you let me be the judge of how I spend my time."

"Fine with me, Detective," he states with a shrug, "but as for me, I don't have time for you and your friends. So if you don't mind, my sheriff will help show you to the door."

The sheriff moves towards the door. "Well you heard the commissioner. He is a busy man," he states as he opens the door, "right this way Detective."

"Matter of fact, I do mind, Commissioner. Sheriff. Close the door," I angrily state and they both eye me with a look of fear in their eyes. "Sheriff!" I yell as I turn around to face the sheriff who stands by the door, holding it open, "Close it! Now!"

"Uh, uh," he stutters as he looks at the commissioner and back at me before he slowly closes the door, "OK."

Turning back around to face the commissioner, I slap the folder down on the desk to send several of his loose sheets of paper floating to the floor. "I don't have time for you and your silly hick games! The more time that YOU waste, gives them more time to get away. Gives them more time to hurt other people. Kill other people! They killed innocent people, in cold blood. They will not think twice to do it again!" I yell as I pull out the pictures we had of Dagger and Sword that the captain had printed off for us before we had left New York. "And despite your certainty that they are not in your town, this is my investigation and I will do it my way. I am not leaving Hazzard until I search it high and dry. We are not leaving until I am sure they are not here!"

"This is my town Detective. Sheriff Coltrane is my law. If they are here, he will find them and arrest them for you," Commissioner Hogg states, staring at me as if attempting to intimidate me, "now if you don't mind, I am busy."

"This may be your town and we may have to call in your sheriff to help with an arrest, but I will do my own investigating," I harshly state as I push the two pictures down onto the desk in front of Hogg who glances down at them and for a brief moment his eyes widen before he blinks and looks away, "sheriff, I want you to see this too."

The sheriff slowly steps up to the desk besides Hogg and glances down at the pictures and his eyes widen only for Hogg to step on his foot. "Boss," he states, "that's my foot. You're stepping on my foot."  
"Ah so I am," he grins under his cigar, "sorry Rosco."

"That is OK Boss, I know -"

"Enough already!" I yell to interrupt them and they both jump, "This is Sword and Dagger. Or as they are known on the street and to their gang. They are the ones that we think are doing the killings. You recognize them?"

Hogg is quick to shake his head. "No, of course not," he states sternly.

"I um," the sheriff shakes his head as he stutters, "haven't seen anything that ugly before."

I eye them both for a long moment. "OK," I state as I pull out several crime pictures and lie them out in front of Hogg and Coltrane once again. Pictures of the burnt houses. Burnt toys. And a couple pictures of their victims. "Look at these pictures! Look at the hatred in these pictures. Of the violence. The pain their victims went through. Look -"

"We don't want to see no more," Hogg interrupts me, "take them away, now."

"You're going to give me nightmares tonight," the sheriff chimes in.

"Yeah, well at least your nightmares, Sheriff, you can wake up from. These people that they killed, they won't be able to wake up from this nightmare," I sternly respond, "and if you want me to be honest with you, I don't believe a word you are saying. You recognized Sword and Dagger -"

"You calling us liars?!" Commissioner Hogg jumps out of his chair with fiery anger locked in his dark eyes, "Get out right now!"

"You recognized Sword and Dagger or know something that you aren't telling us and when we find out, and trust us, we will find out, we will make sure you are reported. Arrested. You saw those pictures. Of what they did. Of what they are capable of and if they are in your town," I pause once more for dramatic affect as I place a finger on one of the victims, "just imagine this being a family in your town that went through this. Your family. Your friends. Because I warn you right now, monsters like this don't stop their hatred. Their violence. They will keep killing until they get caught…and if you are covering for them, you are just as responsible as they are!"

"I told you, get out!" Commissioner Hogg yells as he points to the door that his sheriff now holds open again.

"Danny," Baez states as she puts a hand on my shoulder and I inhale deeply before nodding and sweeping all the photos off of Hogg's desk and back into the folder. "Let's go."

"I can't see how any one of you has stayed in office as long as you have," I state, looking Hogg in the eye only for him to blow his smoke in my face and I force a smile at him, "have a good day Commissioner."

He grunts at us as we walk out of the office and into the sheriff's station only for the sheriff to slam the door shut behind us. "Hey again," the deputy grins broadly at us as we walk past, oblivious to our run in with his boss.

"Hi Deputy," Baez nods at him, "thanks for your help."

"Hey no problem. You let me know if you need any more help and we will be glad to help you any way you can," he states with a smile.

"Well what ya know. There may be one thing you could help us with," I state and he nods, eager to help, and he walks around to where we are, "we are looking for some really bad men who has killed a lot of people in New York. Your commissioner and sheriff weren't of much help. But maybe you would recognize them."

"Wow. That's horrible!" he states, his smile quickly disappearing, "Sure I can have a look, but the only people I know are Hazzard people and none of them would do such a horrible thing like that!"

"I understand, Deputy," I give him a kind smile as I open the folder and Baez takes the pictures of Sword and Dagger out and holds them up for him, "they are known as Sword and Dagger. Their street names for the gang they belong to."

I watch as he takes a long look at both faces before stepping back and shaking his head. "Sorry y'all, but I know I haven't seen those two before. I would definitely remember them by their tattoos and all. We don't see much of that around here. Nor have I heard of anyone called by those names. As I said, I know mainly Hazzard folk and all. Sorry I am not much help," he shrugs as if disappointed that he wasn't able to help, "but if I see something or hear anything, I will let you know if you give me your number."

"Sure thing. That would be great," I respond as I pull out a card with my name and number on it, "here it is. Call me day or night if you have anything or think you have anything."

"Not a problem, Detective," he nods as he reads it before putting it in his pocket, "Best of luck getting those guys. You think they are in Hazzard?"

I look at him for a short moment and take in the fear that enters his blue eyes. "I'm afraid so Deputy," I slowly state as I nod at Baez who places the pictures back in the folder and hands the folder back to Jamie. "Have a good day Deputy. Thanks for your help."

Stepping out into the sunny afternoon, I slowly glance around at the slow paced town at the few people milling around and at the old buildings that line Main Street. "Damn," I hiss as Baez and Jamie catch up to me at the car, "I can't believe these people have to live with such ignorant and greedy law every day. It took all I had not to do something to that fat man and I just met him!"

Baez sighs and nods in agreement. "What now?" she glances up and down the street before her dark eyes land back upon the garage. "Perhaps we should drive the car across the street. See your new friends and see if they know anything."

"Yeah," I sigh heavily as I walk across the street and we all climb back into the Atlanta police department car, "I guess it couldn't hurt…though they aren't my friends. Friends don't try to kill you…"

With that, I quickly turn the car on and watch the street before jerking the car out of the parking stall and drive up onto the slightly slanted garage drive way before pulling to a halt in front of one of the empty gas pumps. "Look Danny," Baez states as she opens the door and turns to face me, "I know you and those two boys didn't get off to a good start, but please give them a chance."

"Hey," I shrug as we all climb out of the car, "I treat people the way they treat me. It's all up to them."

We quietly walk up to the small walk in door and as we approach it the dark haired Duke boy opens it with a small welcoming smile. "We was wondering if you would come or if you'd get what you need with the sheriff and the commissioner," he states as he closes the door behind us, looking out the window before he follows us up alongside the parked sheriff's car to where his younger cousin sits on an overturned milk cart. Standing next to the blond haired Duke is a man wearing grease stained holey clothes with a light brown scruffy beard and mustache and a yellow ball cap covering his hair. He eyes us with dark brown eyes with a tint of craziness and curiosity filling them. "You met my cousin, Bo. That there is the town mechanic and our family friend, Cooter Davenport."

The man in the beard nods with a smile. "Yep, that'd be me," he states offering us his grease covered hand and we all shake it. "How y'all like ol' Boss and Rosco?"

I eye him for a short moment before looking down at Bo who watches us all carefully and still not trusting us. "You mean the commissioner and the sheriff?" I question looking back at Cooter who nods and I roll my eyes at them, "Like is definitely not the word I would use towards either one of those two! They are ignorant and greedy. I don't know how they are still free not alone running and protecting any town! How you put up with them?!"

Bo gives a small laugh and Cooter nods and pats him on the shoulder. "Good question, Detective," Cooter states seriously, "but at least with them, we know what we are dealing with."

I look at him in disbelief for a moment before looking around his small garage and the tools that line the thin wooden walls before taking a step back and taking the manila folder from Jamie. "Yeah well, if it was up to me, I'd have them locked up for being so ignorant and blind! The commissioner has seemed to lie so much that he believes his own lies! And the sheriff? He seems like he doesn't know what to do or to think unless the commissioner tells him what to do or what to think. I've never seen anything like it! Don't want to either," I harshly state, "Though the deputy seems nice and honest…must make for some free entertainment."

"I don't know about free," Luke finally states, leaning against the patrol car, "nothing with Hogg is ever free."

I nod as I glance down at the pictures in the folder to send anger and hatred racing through me towards the two men in the picture. Anger and hatred for what they had done to those families for little to no reason. I slowly sigh heavily and look up in attempt to shove my thoughts and my emotions away in order to move on and to do my best to get the men responsible for it all. "Well, we asked your commissioner and your sheriff if they recognized these two men and they were little to no help," I slowly state before shaking my head at myself, "actually they were of some help."

"What you mean?" Baez questions, "They were lying through their teeth! The only one that seemed honest with their answer was the deputy!"

"Yeah I know. But it is their lies that gave it away. They obviously recognized them or know something about them that they are not willing to come forth with. Either that or Hogg is too use to lying that he doesn't know how to tell the truth," I state as I eye the three local men in front of me, "Anyway you look at it, they know something and are lying about it."

Luke shakes his head and says, "That don't surprise me. As we said, Boss does anything for an extra dollar and he has been known to make deals with not so nice people in order to rob the people of Hazzard to get the money. Of course, when it is all said and done, there is no hard evidence pointing at him and he has his own sorry story to cover himself up. While hired men get arrested and do his time."

"Maybe that is what is going on here then," Jamie states behind us, breaking his silence, "the sheriff was about to confess something before Hogg stepped on his foot to shut him up."

I nod at him and look at Baez and then back at Luke again. "Yeah it is starting to sound that way with your bank robbery charge that they were going after you with," I go silent for a moment as I let it all sink in, disbelief that I am believing the story I had refused to believe earlier. The story that seemed so far fetched, now seeming more and more like the truth. "Well look, we are here in Hazzard trying to find a couple of men who are responsible for brutally beating and killing three different families before burning their house down. There is no connection between the families that we can tell of. Nor do we really know why they did it. But we got a witness and a note that has led us to believe that they have ran away from New York to hide here in Hazzard." I go silent for dramatic affect once more and take in the shock and fear that enters all three sets of eyes that are planted on me. "Their street names are Sword and Dagger. Dagger is the prominent gang leader and Sword being his back up man. Would you mind looking at their picture and see if you have seen them here in Hazzard?"

"No, no. Not at all," Luke states stepping away from the car to take the pictures in his hands and he carefully looks at them for a long moment before shaking his head and giving them back to me. "No, I haven't seen the likes of them at all. Especially in Hazzard. We don't get much visitors so mainly all we see is Hazzard folk."

"Thanks," I nod before I turn around and hand them to Cooter who take them and looks at them for a long moment.

"Nah. Sorry, but I haven't seen either one of them. Think if I did, I'd be quick to run the other way. Both are scary looking," he says as he hands the photos back to me, "and to think they are in Hazzard. Just horrible!"

"Yeah," I state in agreement and nod in appreciation before I slowly turn to Bo who remains sitting on the crate, watching me with untrusting blue eyes. "Mind having a look?" I force myself to use a calm voice with him despite wanting to knock him off of the crate.

He gives me a hesitant shake of the head before he slowly reaches up and grabs the pictures from me and I glance up to find Luke protectively watching his cousin. Glancing back down at Bo as he grabs the top poster picture from the top and places it behind the other one. As he looks at the last picture his eyes light up and fear is quick to flood through them and he is quick to look up at Luke, as if asking him silently for help. A second later, he looks up at me before he slowly forces himself to stand up and I find myself looking up at him who stands a few inches taller than me. "I uh," he pauses as he looks back at Luke and then at Cooter before looking at me, "I haven't seen or recognize him." He pulls the bottom sheet, the picture he had looked at first, and hands it to me and I look down to look at Sword.

"What about the other guy? Dagger?" I question, trying to prompt him on.

He eyes me for a short moment and back at Luke and then back at the picture that still stares back at him and a visible shudder crosses his lean body. "I think I saw him," he goes silent, "yesterday morning. In town. But he had shorter hair that was blond and his eyes were darker than they were in the picture. But it was him. He had that same tattoo on his neck. Same scary look."

I look at Baez with a brief hint of hope and back at Bo as Luke takes a protective step towards Bo, a look of concern deep in his dark blue eyes. "You saw him in town? Yesterday?" I ask and Bo nervously nods his head before he looks back over at Luke who nods him on, "Well at least we know he is here If he is here, so is Sword. So," I pause slowly as I glance back at Baez to make sure she is taking notes, which she is, "so how did you meet Dagger? You walk past him on the street? He talk to you? What?"

Bo quickly hands me the picture of Dagger and runs his hand nervously through his thick bright blond hair as he looks back at Luke once again. "Well no," he slowly states as he looks back at me, "I was in town to grab a few groceries my uncle was needing. I was leaving the grocery store and as I walked past the alley there that guy came running out," he pauses again and he glances down at his feet, obviously wishing he was somewhere else, before looking back at me and continues, "and ran into me. Ran into me hard enough to knock me over and everything went flying."

"He came running out?" I question and he is slow to nod, "What happened after he ran into you?" Bo chews on his bottom lip for a moment as if in thought. "Well as I was getting up he came running back at me where he grabbed my shirt and shoved me into the side of the building. He was real angry. Crazy looking. In a bad way," he states before going silent.

"Did he say anything?" Baez questions behind him, trying to prod him on.

Bo nods slowly. "Yeah he…he shoved me into the wall, held me there and got in my face," he pauses once more, "and spit in my face saying that I better get out of his damn way. That next time I won't be so lucky. That if I knew what was best for me. For my family," with that he fearfully looks over at Luke who places a protective hand upon his shoulder and nods him on. "If I knew what was best for my family that I best forget all that happened. Forget that I saw him. And not say anything."

I watch him momentarily once more, taking him in before I glance back at Baez to see if she got it all. She stops writing and nods at me. Looking back at Bo, I ask, "He say anything else? Do anything else?"

"He um," Bo stutters nervously, "he threw me back on the ground and kicked me in the stomach. Told me I should consider myself lucky for still being alive. And if I want to keep on living not to say a word. That next time I wouldn't be so lucky. He then turned and ran down the street where he got into a red Chevy truck. I uh…didn't see the license."

"Very good," I praise him, "anyone else in the truck? Older truck? Newer truck?"

"Just him," Bo answers, "and uh, it was an older beaten truck. Had a few dents in the back."

"Very good Bo," I repeat as Baez folds her notebook up to signal that we are done with the questions and a thick air of silence fills the dark shadowy garage.

"Bo," Luke speaks up to break the silence, concern and fear laced in his voice, "why didn't you tell us?"

Bo hangs his head and shrugs. "Well he said not to say anything," Bo pauses for a long moment, "and figured it was a one time deal. It wasn't a big deal."

"Not a big deal?!" Luke yells in fear, "He threatened you! He kicked you! Not a big deal? I'd say it is a big deal!"

Bo just shrugs as he sits back down on the crate as if searching for a way to disappear. "Look, I'm sorry," he slowly states, "OK?"

"Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for…I just wished you would have said something," Luke states, "I wish I woulda went with you. Damn." Luke goes silent as he looks back at me, "Now what?"

"Well," I sigh heavily, "we go on with our investigation. And you go back to your lives and hope that they don't intertwine."

"But they threatened Bo!" Luke protests, "What if they come after him now that he opened up to you?"

I shrug again. "Look Luke. It's just me, Baez, and Jamie. We can't go to your law for help. They are no help. It's not like I can assign anyone to look out for him. For you all. I just can't," I try to comfort his fears though know nothing short of an arrest will.

Luke shakes his head in anger. "You just said that they have killed several people in New York. He just threatened to kill my cousin. My cousin opened up to you despite all that!" Luke continues, "And just like that, you are going to leave him to protect himself against a known killer?! He's killed before so obviously he won't think twice to kill Bo…heck Bo's probably lucky that jerk didn't kill him then and there just for seeing what he looks like! Probably why he got upset at Bo in the first place!"

I shake my head at him. "What you want us to do, Luke? I understand your fears, trust me, I do! But if we were to stay and guard him like you do, how we suppose to go out and arrest them?" I sigh heavily, "I wish we could, we just can't!"

Luke nods as if in understanding before he glances down at Bo. "Look, where you staying at while you are in Hazzard?" he finally questions, looking back at me.

I shrugs glancing at Baez who shrugs in return. "I guess we haven't thought that far ahead," I finally state as I face Luke, "I guess the nearest hotel. Where would that be?"

"Uh the Notel Motel here in Hazzard," Cooter is quick to speak up, "though if I were you, I wouldn't waste my money or time there. Sorry to say."

"How come?" Baez questions.

"Look William Yasper is the motel owner and manager. He owes his mortgage to Boss Hogg as does everyone else in town and around town. And Hogg keeps raising his rates," Cooter shrugs, "William is a great guy and he does all that he can do to keep the place up, but he is close to losing it due to not having the money to keep it open and not enough guests to stay there. So he can't pay the electric bill a lot of the time or for the water or the appliances. The appliances, bed, and everything is way old. Most of the stuff don't work. Half the time there is no electricity and the other half of the time there is no hot water. Some times there is neither. As I said, it is nothing against William. He is a great guy. He is just a victim of one Commissioner JD Hogg.."

"Well," I pause, "we aren't here for comfort. So it may have to do until we close this case."

"Not necessarily," Luke states, "you all can come stay at the farm with us. We got a comfortable couch and some blankets. We got a barn that you could use as your office if you need your own space. And our cousin Daisy has her own queen size bed she could share with Baez if Baez wouldn't mind."

I look back at Baez who slowly answers, "Nothing against your cousin or you, but I'd be OK with the couch or sleeping on the floor with your blankets."

I eye her and then back at Bo before giving Luke a smile. "You have a quick mind, Luke. This is your ploy for at least some protection for Bo," I state and Luke gives me a curt nod, "and it is a good one. But Baez can have the couch and Jamie and I will sleep in the barn…be like the few times dad took us camping while growing up. Huh Jamie?"

"I think they always ended up in some sort of disaster or some sort of fight," Jamie says with a small smile, "if I remember right."

"Well, we're older now," I state, "OK Luke. We'll take you up on your offer."


End file.
